Demanding Justice for Larry

In January, a police officer in Bloomfield, Nebraska, trapped and fatally shot a beloved two-year-old pet cat named Larry. He then dumped Larry’s body behind a shed. This devastating act of cruelty violates the state animal cruelty law and city ordinances, yet the officer was only given a written reprimand. Everything is wrong with this picture.

We are demanding justice for Larry and his owners. Officers should be educating residents about how to treat animals humanely and coexist peacefully—NOT shooting and killing cats and violating the laws they’re supposed to enforce. We’ve written to the Bloomfield mayor and the city council requesting a meeting to discuss effective enforcement of animal cruelty codes and humane programs for cats.

The more we’ve learned about this case, the more outraged we’ve become. When Larry went missing on January 13, his owners took immediate action to find him—knocked on doors, posted on Facebook—but after two days, they called the chief of police who confirmed Larry had been trapped and killed. They were devastated to learn that their beloved Larry was a victim of Bloomfield Police Department’s actions. The mayor has even admitted that the officer killed Larry.

We must ensure that the anti-cruelty laws that are in place are enforced and new humane programs are implemented.

We will continue fighting until justice is served, and we know we have you by our side. We will keep you updated on how you can help demand justice for Larry and ensure this will never happen again.

How can I help?

UPDATE: Thanks to your concern and efforts, officials in Bloomfield, Nebraska have agreed to meet with Alley Cat Allies about Larry, the pet cat who was brutally shot and killed by one of their police officers. We look forward to discussing effective humane training for police officers and other city employees and how to adopt lifesaving programs for cats.

We still need as many cat advocates as possible standing with us to make sure we get justice for Larry and prevent this from happening again. You can help by: